As our stay is nearing an end here on South Padre Island it is time to start planning for our move on March 1st. Our next stop will be inland in Texas for a month. We originally booked another month here on the Island for the month of March.
However instead of spending another month at Isla Blanca Park we decided it best to cancel our stay. We did so for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons was we would have had to move to a different site and the site we were moving to wasn’t a very good one at that. Since we have to move anyhow we figured we might as well move somewhere nicer.
Another surprising and significant reason we chose to leave was the slow but certain realization that we simply don’t want to be here anymore. Why? Well, for one we have done everything there is to do (that we like to do anyway), not once, but several times. One challenge of staying long term on an island is that once you enjoy everything there is to do on the island it is an hour or more away from every other place to explore..
As much as we will miss our daily walks on the beach it was during one of these walks we came to the realization that we were ready to leave. More significantly we also learned something about ourselves.. We now have decided we no longer want to live right on a beach.. We aren’t saying we wouldn’t live close to a beach, it’s just that being in a beach town 24/7, 365 days a year is surprisingly now not in our future plans.
While we have eliminated South Padre Island as a future home we know there are plenty of other locations to check out. From here we will move over to an RV resort in Alamo Texas a good hour plus away where we will be able to explore life in the Rio Grande Valley sans the beach. We may not have a lot to do there as well but at least it will be different.
Next we’ll move north back toward Canyon Lake Texas to visit our son and his family again before starting a trek east. We will also spend some time in College Station, Texas (our original hometown) where we will finalize our spring and summer plan of exploring potential future places to live along the way to North Carolina to visit with our daughter and her family.
Hopefully as we visit more places looking through this new lens we will discover more about what we want and don’t want in our future home. We have also come to realize that our home finding quest will be a marathon and not a sprint as it will probably take a lot of time to find just the right place where we can fully enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle.
Todays pictures are from the various places we have enjoyed during our stay on South Padre Island…
NOTE: We are currently in South Padre Island TX until March 1st…
Such pink duck feet. Is that a black bellied whistling duck? See them here occasionally, perched in trees. Never have seen such pink duck feet except on them.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to what you find in your next perch. Really like the last photo.
Yes, a pair of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks... I loved getting the face and their bright pink feet in the same photo.
DeleteYour island life looks like paradise from here. Even city life in San Diego has its routines.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt that is true, but there is vastly more to do there than here, albeit, at a higher price ;)
DeleteI know just what you mean about being somewhere for long enough to have seen it all or at least all you want to see. There are parks I have visited every winter because I love them but have become tired of the beach limitations in terms of variety. Were you on the island for all of January and all of February? I've never stayed anywhere longer than 2 months and I'm wondering about whether three months would be way too long. Have you ever stayed anywhere that long?
ReplyDeleteYes we were here all of Jan and Feb. We have stayed 3 months a few times but only in AZ where there is plenty of hiking to do.
DeleteI think it's especially challenging for those of us who have been full-timers to figure out where to land. We're finding that it's the community of friends that make all the difference. But it also helps to be in a beautiful, interesting place. :-) We're liking being here between Apalachicola and St. George Island. Of course, it would be nice to have a major grocery store closer than 70 miles away, but we do pretty well with the Piggly Wiggly, LOL.
ReplyDeleteLove that area you landed in and yes, we are surprised as to how challenging it is to find ours. We had always considered the Mexico Beach area, but alas, before it was devastated by the hurricane.
DeleteThis winter has been enlightening for us too.
ReplyDelete